Landmaker is a puzzle game that borrows its basic principals from classic games like Bust-a-Move and Tetris. Fire randomly colored blocks into a grid attempting to arrange similar ones together.

As with most puzzle games the graphics are uninspiring. The menus and character selection screens are as basic as you will ever see on the PlayStation and give it an almost unfinished appearance. I was surprised that a higher resolution wasn't used for the in-game screens to make everything look a little crisper, but as it stands everything looks functional, if a little drab.

Even less time has been spent on the sound. there's a few beeps here and there but nothing that couldn't have been done on an old 16bit console.

Thankfully Landmaker relies far more on gameplay than sound or vision, so all is not lost.

The firing of blocks into your grid is made simple by the inclusion of an aiming line that projects for quite a distance. Grouping blocks of the same color together in a square (2x2 3x3 4x4 5x5) transforms them into a (very Japanese looking) building which scores you bonus points. Better still, the structures can then be demolished, creating havoc for your opponent by showering his grid with its contents. The moral of this game is quite simply. build fast and blast fast..!

The game is made more interesting (and complex) by the added ability to eliminate and change the color of individual blocks, taking this style of puzzle game to a whole new level.

Features:

· Easy for gamers of all ages to pick-up and play, but challenging to master

· PUZZLE MODE: Arrange colored blocks together to create a building of a specified size

· BATTLE MODE: Play against either a human or computer opponent and compete to see who can construct the most buildings

· ARCADE MODE: First player who can't fire a block due to a congested grid loses

Steve
"Fans of Bust-a-Move or Puzzle Bobble are going to love this as it basically refines and improves on this classic puzzle genre in many ways.

Varied game modes will keep the single player occupied for quite some time, however the true addictive qualities of Landmaker will only be appreciated when you get a few friends around and battle it out against each other.

Overall it's a nice game that would have benefited greatly from improved presentation.
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